News

NORTH-SOUTH LINE NOMINATED FOR AMSTERDAM ARCHITECTURE PRIZE

15 03 2019

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We are proud to be one of 10 nominees in the running for the Amsterdam Architecture Prize (the ‘Gouden A.A.P.’) with our project North-South line. On April 17, ARCAM (Architecture Centre Amsterdam) will announce which project has been awarded the title ‘Best building of 2018’.

ARCAM chose 10 projects out of the 140 that were completed in Amsterdam last year. According to their press release, ARCAM feels that these 10 accurately represent the most important trends in Amsterdam building: densification of the urban area, sustainability and an increase in multifunctional projects. A professional jury and a jury consisting of members of the public will each choose a winner.

The festive award ceremony will take place in the Posthoornkerk on April 17. Tickets can be ordered through ARCAM.

BNTHMCRWL X MIPIM

04 03 2019

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Small and large buildings that inspire and improve our world. Bright buildings and public spaces that are easy to understand and navigate. We are Benthem Crouwel Architects.

We will be at MIPIM, Cannes 12-14 March to meet with cities, developers, international experts and partner companies.

Get in touch if you are interested in sharing ideas or in partnerships. Marten Wassmann, Partner/architect and Emmy Scholten, Head of business strategy are looking forward to be inspired and connect with you. Please send an email to escholten@benthemcrouwel.nl.

Saartje LIVE at talk show KRAAK

08 02 2019

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Saartje van der Made, partner at Benthem Crouwel and winner of the Talent met Toekomst (Talent with Future) award, will meet KRAAK the 10th of February, the weekly talk show of Omroep Brabant.

Talk show host Arjo Kraak is LIVE at 12 o'clock with three main characters from the news, including Saartje. Saartje talks about her work as an architect and the award she has won.

KRAAK is broadcast live from Omroep Brabant.

Also curious how the interview with Saartje at Kraak did go? Watch it here.

Saartje van der Made is a guest at talkshow Spraakvermaak

06 02 2019

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On the 10th of February Saartje van der Made, one of the partners at Benthem Crouwel Architects, is a guest at the talkshow Spraakvermaak. Spraakvermaak is an informative Sunday afternoon café about politics, art and culture, sports and media that takes place in Terheijde, Brabant. Saartje was born near this village and will tell all about her work as an architect.

The event will take place in café Ons Thuis, Bredaseweg 20 in Terheijde. Ticket price is € 3,50. Click here for more info.

Saartje van der Made received the award ‘Talent met Toekomst’

05 02 2019

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On February 4, partner Saartje van der Made received the award ‘Talent met Toekomst’ (talent with a future) at the Nederlandse Bouwprijs event in Utrecht.

Saartje van der Made started working for Benthem Crouwel Architects in 2008, after graduating on the subject of ‘building underground’. She immediately started working on the project North/South Line, designing the 7 new stations for the new Amsterdam metro line. After a thorough analysis of the similarities and connections between the different stations, she developed the vision for all materials and finishings for the stations. The result is high-quality architecture that is as beautiful as it is efficient and functional.

The jury praised her “modest yet superb creative personality”, and especially the inspiring way in which she shaped the way travelers experience the North/South Line.

Saartje was nominated for her important and responsible role in two projects: the North/South Line and the new head office for the Goede Doelen Loterijen. The jury stated that the fact that she worked on these major projects at a relatively young age, is great proof of her capabilities and talent.

Mels Crouwel keynote speaker at the grand opening of the new year of architecture in Arnhem

29 01 2019

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Mels Crouwel, one of the founding partners at Benthem Crouwel Architects, is keynote speaker in Arnhem on the 29th of January, as part of the grand opening of the new year of architecture at the Centrum voor Architectuur en Stedenbouw Arnhem (CASA). It has been a century since the foundation of Bauhaus, that stood for the progressive design and utopian vistas. That’s why the annual theme is Nutopia! It’s inspired by the Bauhaus principles, because our time also demands an innovative, idealistic architecture and design. Mels Crouwel will speak about the history of Bauhaus, current architectural challenges and the renovation design of Museum Arnhem.

Station Delft Campus to be the Netherlands’ first energy neutral station

16 01 2019

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Thanks to an innovative canopy, station Delft Campus (the present Delft South) will be the first completely energy neutral train station in the Netherlands.

Benthem Crouwel Architects designs the new station, which was made possible by the high ambitions of ProRail and the municipality of Delft, in a collaboration with Royal HaskoningDHV and Witteveen+Bos. Its batlike structure takes inspiration from the high-tech world of stealth technology and from biomimicry, where manmade constructions imitate nature.

All of the Delft station facilities like elevators, announcement system, ticket machines and lighting will run on the energy provided by the canopy. That a relatively small roof is able to generate that much power (equivalent to the yearly consumption of 70 households) is made possible by the unique design: instead of the usual roof with solar panels on top, Benthem Crouwel Architects created a canopy that is made entirely out of these panels.

Two large awnings span the tracks, fanning out on both sides of the platforms like giant, protective wings. The awnings consist of a steel structure with solar panels attached to the beams. The panels are placed in east-west direction with a 10-15 degree angle, creating a zigzag surface that is most optimal for catching the sunlight. Between the panels, narrow gutters take care of the rainwater drainage. Near the elevators a glass shutter gives access to the roof, making it easy to clean and maintain the canopy.

The roof not only provides the station with all the energy it needs: the shiny black canopy is also a striking landmark that offers shelter to the waiting passengers.

After the recent completion of the new office for the Goede Doelen Loterijen, which received the BREEAM certificate ‘Outstanding’; and after winning the competition for the circular new faculty ASP 942 for the University of Amsterdam, this is within two months the third highly sustainable project of Benthem Crouwel Architects in a row.

About

DNA

For more than three decades we have been creating innovative, flexible and efficient designs that must meet high standards and complex user requirements. Our field of work extends from (public) buildings to infrastructural projects and urban master plans. Whether we are renovating or modernizing a building or designing a completely new structure, we always seek clear, unique and efficient solutions.
Some of our designs are restrained, such as the extension to the Anne Frank House, while others are iconic, such as the Bergbau Museum and the Ziggo Dome. In various projects we have shown that combining old and new elements can result in very sustainable buildings that blend harmoniously with their surroundings and accommodate new forms of use.

Old and new buildings form part of an urban morphology that we respect and want to contribute to. In our iconic designs our aim is never to be conspicuous just for the sake of it. We deploy architecture to create new urban character and thus to contribute to the city of the future. Unexpected qualities surface frequently in the design and planning process, and they provide impulses for the urban environment or for the occupants of a building.
Our office is renowned for skilfully controlling the entire design and planning process in terms of both time and costs. We are well organized and have plenty of experience in supervising complex processes at all scales.

“We respect the hierarchy between urbanism and architecture. Our buildings must add something to the city. They must contribute to the city and function well as part of it.”

“In designing buildings, we want to fully comprehend and respect the interests of clients and also of neighbours, occupants and the city.”

Motivation

Listening is an important quality in fully understanting all questions that arise during a design process. We want to discover ‘the question behind the question’, because that can help us to discover what really matters. Good architecture begins with clear thinking and thorough analyis. We always try to find the essence of the question.

Better solutions result if you are prepared to dig deeper and always have the courage to keep asking questions. In our designs we are not after sensational or spectacular architecture but after the best solution for the task at hand. We study the functional and internal logic of buildings and derive great pleasure from that.

Our work is rooted in the Dutch design tradition that marries understatement and efficiency with innovation and self-criticism. We adopt a restrained and intelligent approach and are not afraid of confrontations. That is also ‘Dutch’. Our team, however, consists of professionals from various cultural backgrounds who enjoy working both nationally and internationally.

We have a deep love of building and want people to enjoy our designs and genuinely appreciate them. In the station in Rotterdam you can see the trains and smell the wood as the lighting guides you to your destination. These are highly tactile, sensitive experiences, and it is fantastic that architecture can facilitate them.

“We want to get the very most out of every commission. That is why we want to understand the question behind the question. Our aim is to give clients more than they ask for.”

“Our office is full of extremely curious individuals whose job is to understand all stakeholders, not just the client. We keep posing questions. Why this? Why that?”

Sustainability

Our first projects were based on design principles that later came to be known as ‘sustainable’: compactness, good orientation and efficient use of materials. Sustainable building therefore comes naturally to us, as it has been part of our architectural tradition ever since the office was founded.

We make buildings that meet the highest contemporary standards of sustainability, among them RAI Amtrium and Mall Forum Mittelhein in Koblenz. In our office we have a specialist sustainability team that includes devoted and certified BREEAM designers. We are a participant in the ‘Green Building Council’, a member of the ‘German Sustainable Building Council’ (DGNB) and are certified ISO 14001:2015 .

We believe that sustainability is embedded in the wider context of social responsibility. In view of that responsibility, we always seek to balance the ecological, economic and social aspects of a project. We are proud that in so many of our projects we find an equilibrium between aesthetic and conceptual ambitions, efficient use of materials and innovative technological systems. That balance is essential for good architecture.

“We have created buildings with the highest attainable sustainability classifications. We have sustainability experts on our team, yet Benthem Crouwel is not a typical ‘green office’, because we always seek to integrate sustainability with other architectural values.”

“Over the years we have built enduring relations with many of our clients, and we have worked with some of them for decades. That continuity testifies to their trust in the consistent quality of our work.”

Innovation

The application of new technology and new methods of production plays an important role in our work. We critically examine traditional processes of construction, production and planning again and again. Is there scope for improvement? Can we make it more efficient and smarter? These are the questions we ask ourselves throughout the process.

The aim of innovation is to ensure that our product possesses exceptional qualities that can make the result more user-friendly, sustainable, beautiful and easier to maintain. So for specific commissions we like to look for new methods and answers, as we did at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and Mall Forum Mittelrhein in Koblenz.

The facade of the Stedelijk Museum is made of composite material that seamlessly covers an exceptionally large area. The facade panels of Mall Forum Mittelrhein are manufactured from deep drawn aluminium sheets. In both cases we deployed existing production techniques from the boat building and automobile industries respectively to create architecture. That reflects what innovation means to us: introducing new technologies, materials and methods into our field.

“We believe that our way of working can make a major contribution to the design and planning process. Cooperating with stakeholders and co-creating are great ways to inspire others.”

“Our advisors are not only specialists in structural engineering, building physics and traffic engineering but also artists, graphic designers and changemakers. After all, other disciplines offer a fresh and potentially enhancing perspective on our field of work.”

Awards

Benthem Crouwel received many prizes for their work, ranging from national to international prizes. And the firm is frequently successful in national and international design and innovation competitions.

Jobs

Benthem Crouwel Architects has a project portfolio that covers the broadest range of architectural design, from small to very large scale projects. With offices in Amsterdam, Paris and Düsseldorf, we value our international, ambitious and dynamic atmosphere, but find it equally important that our work environment is open, friendly and non-hierarchical.
Employees are annually evaluated through performance interviews, where subjects like personal development, education and career planning are discussed. Benthem Crouwel Amsterdam operates in accordance with the Dutch CAO (collective labor agreement for architectural offices in the Netherlands), Benthem Crouwel Düsseldorf works according to German legislation.

Benthem Crouwel welcomes open applications from talented architects and technicians who have an enthusiastic approach to their work and who are experienced in designing, 3D modeling, technical (building) knowledge and BIM. All applications should include: visuals of your work (designs, technical drawings) and CV and – if relevant – a valid working and residence permit for the Netherlands. Please send digital applications only.
For our Amsterdam office send your application (in Dutch or English) to Simone Kraaijenbrink (jobs@benthemcrouwel.nl).
For our German office send your application (in German or English) to Bewerbung@benthemcrouwel.de.

INTERNSHIP

Benthem Crouwel makes a strict distinction between an intern position and a professional position. In order to apply as an intern, you should be attending school or university and/or have a grant. We can only support a limited number of interns per year. Your digital application for an internship should include CV, portfolio and dates of availability. Applications for internships can be sent to internship@benthemcrouwel.nl.